Coming Soon: Wontons from outerspace

Down-side of Chinese in outerspace: Finding out the Great Wall isn't actually visible to extraterrestrials.

Up-side of Chinese in outerspace: Taikonaut cuisine! The Associated Press reports in the San Jose Mercury News:

Coming soon to China: A taste of the taikonaut life. Dishes like roast pork and stewed duck specially concocted for taikonauts—the Chinese term for astronauts—will be sold in supermarkets by the end of the year, the official Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday.

The Scientific Research and Training Center for Chinese Astronauts and a Shanghai-based food company have developed more than 60 space dishes—including meat, vegetables, starches and desserts—for the country's space program, only the third in the world to launch a human into orbit.

Confident of the products' appeal, the center began cooperation with manufacturers on mass production in 2006, Xinhua said.

The space food is not only tasty, it also provides the 2,400 calories of energy required by an astronaut, said Chen Bin, head of the center's food and nutrition branch.

"They are especially suitable for outdoor activities, such as polar region expeditions, mountain climbing and traveling," Chen was quoted as saying.

No word on the effects of zero-gravity on chopstick use.

San Jose Mercury News: China's astronaut food soon on sale